2010. Game 7

The Randolph Oilers faced off on Saturday with a hungry Granite State Knights team, that was hungry for a win in its home opener (yes- they had started with 6 games on the road, and end with 5 straight home games). 

And early on it looked like the NH squad may get its wish, going up 7-0 early in the 1^st quarter. But the Oilers offense started to click behind qb Ryan Myers and scored 19 unanswered points. But the Knights wouldn’t go quietly and brought the game to within 20-14 midway through the 4^th quarter. With momentum on their side it looked like the Knights were primed to pull the upset.

When the Knights went for the jugular after the touchdown that made the game 19-14 by going for the onside kick, the Oilers recovered the onside kick and returned it for a touchdown. The key block on the play was made by starting Oiler linebacker Jose Branco who came out of nowhere to lay out two NH defenders just as the Oiler returner was about to be tackled. 
 

On offense the team once again relied heavily on its passing game. Ryan Myers threw for 3 td passes and just one interception. Two of the td passes went to Will Price (one for 17 yards, and one for 12 yards), who is quietly showing why he is the most underrated wide receiver in the EFL. He also had a 3^rd touchdown that was called back due to a questionable penalty.  Also making key contributions in the passing were game Brian Gallo, Ryan “Ike” Eisenhauer, and Alex Williams.  Eisenhauer, a tight end emerging as a dangerous force in the passing game,  caught his 1^st touchdown pass of the year--- a clutch grab on 4^th down in which he took a 10 yard pass into the endzone. Williams, most known for his ferocious blocking in the running game, also contributed in the passing game with a clutch 2-point conversion catch that gave the Oilers some much needed breathing room on the scoreboard.

In the running game, powerful fullback Mike Wright once again proved to be an excellent complement to speedy Brooks Payne. In addition to hardnosed blocking, Wright averaged over 7 yards per carry on his 4 carries, including an inspired 20 yard to keep the chains moving on the game-clinching drive. Despite the team not calling as many running plays as in past games, Payne was his usual steady self, averaging 4 yards per carry and picking up yardage in situations where it looked like he could be tackled for a loss.

The defense had another solid effort, limiting NH to 14 points and forcing numerous turnovers. Leading the charge was Burns who in addition to his game changing touchdown return, also had a key first quarter interception that stalled a NH drive and led to the Oilers first touchdown. Burns very deservingly was named Player of the Game.

Also having a huge defensive game was defensive end Anthony Goodwyn, who had two fumble recoveries and a sack. One of his fumble recoveries led to the Oilers 2^nd touchdown.

The Oilers received excellent special teams play, despite not having its K/P Dave Canavan for the game. Myers filled in kicking an extra point, and had 3 punts for an average of 37 yards. Also filling in at an untypical position was Brian Gallo, who returned a punt for 36 yards to help establish the Oilers in excellent field position on their final scoring drive.

The offensive line had another good game, giving Myers time to throw and controlling the line of scrimmage. The line was once again lead by veteran Brian Burns who set the tempo for the line with his fiery play and excellent recognition of defensive fronts. Snubbed as an All Star last year, Burns is showing the rest of the league what his teammates already know- that he may be the best center in the EFL. Also contributing on the offensive line were Kevin Clark, Pierre Joseph, T.D. Thompson, Dan Quinn and Kevin “KB” Boyle. With the line short handed, Boyle who is still recovering from knee surgery, logged valuable minutes in the 2^nd half to help provide a breather for some of his teammates needing to rest their injuries.

The surprise defensive play of the game came from offensive lineman T.D. Thompson who made the most of his one defensive snap. Playing back in the town where he played his final year of high school ball, with plenty of friends and family on hand, Thompson entered the game late in the 4^th quarter as Granite State was driving and trying to keep the game within reach. Thompson promptly shot through the offensive line, forcing the qb to scramble, and then displayed a burst even he didn’t know his injured and battle-scarred knees had left in them was able to chase the qb down from behind tackling him right past the line of scrimmage.

The Most Courageous Fan of the Game award clearly goes to Oiler co-owner Marge O’Kane, who was involved in a nasty sideline collision with a NH player. Like the trooper she is, Marge shrugged off the pain and stayed in attendance, continuing to cheer for her beloved Oilers. Normally it’s Marge’s sunny disposition and big heart that inspire the Oilers, but in this case it was her toughness and spirit that ignited the Oilers players and drove them to play even harder and even more physical. AND we are happy to report that reports from Pete O’Kane are that Marge is doing fine and will be back cheering on the Oilers at their next game.

This coming Friday the Oilers play their 2^nd to last regular season home game of the season, as they host the Braintree Cowboys at 8:00 at Randolph High. Braintree is in contention for a playoff spot, and there chances would improve dramatically if they could pull an upset of the Oilers. The Oilers who can reach the .500 mark with a win, are determined to extend their 2-game winning streak and build momentum for a post-season run. Despite the rest of the league believing the 2010 EFL championship will come form the current top 6 teams in the league (Western Mass, Charlestown, Hillary Clinton, Quincy, Boston, or Taunton), the Oilers players aren’t conceding anything and are steadfast in their belief that they can hang with any team in the league if they can just avoid the mental mistakes that plagued them in July. Please come support your Oilers in their quest for the playoffs and an EFL Championship!!!